Brick-setting machine.



M. F. BULTGE.

BRICK SETTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1914. 1,1 31,905. Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTG-L|THO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT MARTIN F. BULTGE, 0F LANSING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL BRICK COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BRICK-SETTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed September 4, 1914. Serial No. 860,147.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN F. BULTGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brick-Setting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The subject matter of this invention is an improvement in brick setting machines.

In operating brick setting machines of the general type disclosed in the patent granted to Francis, No. 890,586, June 9, 1908, I have found that the grip plates upon the fingers of the machine, while generally very efficient in grasping the brick after the fingers are once inserted, produce considerable trouble during the insertion or withdrawal of the fingers. The grip plates become loose upon their mountings, due to wear, and the edges of the plates project beyond the sides of the fingers, causing partial demolition of the stack as the fingers are inserted. The same trouble occurs upon withdrawal of the fingers, when the stack is placed in the kiln. This causes great annoyance and delay, and increases the cost of handling the brick.

It is the object of the present invention to hold in proper alinement the grip plates of a brick setting machine during the insertion or withdrawal of the fingers at the same time preserving the individual action of each grip plate for its own separate gripping action.

A further object is to provide an improved brick setting machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view, with parts broken away of part of a brick setting machine, showing my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a right-hand elevation of the section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, show ing a finger with the grip plates attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, showing a rear elevation of the grip plate operating mechanism.

The machine to which I apply my improvement is a machine for handling bricks in bulk, whereby a pile of bricks, stacked up in accordance with a pre-arranged order, may be picked up in bulk and transported to another point without breaking bulk.

This machine requires the bricks to be stacked up with uniform spaces between the bricks of the basic layer so as to permit lifting fingers to enter these spaces to carry the superposed load, while the basic layer is also picked up and carried along with the superposed load by the lateral gripping action of grip plates mounted on the lifting fingers. As soon as the stack of bricks is set down again, the basic layer of brick supports the superposed bricks, and the gripping action of the grip plates is released so that the fingers may be withdrawn.

I have shown in Fig. l a pair of fingers 4 and 5 secured to a frame member 6, as by bolting, riveting or the like. The finger 4 is thrust between the rows of bricks 7 and 8, while the finger 5 is illustrated as lying on the outer edge of a row of brick 9. The rows 8 and 9 are gripped between the fingers 4 and 5 by means of grip plates 10 which are mounted on bolts 11 threaded into holes in the fingers 4 and 5. These bolts form pivots for the levers 12 which are secured at their outer ends to the flanges 13 of the grip plates. Thus, the grip plates 10 are pivoted on the ends of the levers 12, and the levers 12 are rotatable about the bolts 11. A short arm 16 in the nature of a lug is fastened to the lever 12 to form an attaching means for the rods 14 for each one of the levers 12. The rods are adapted to lie in a recess 15, cut in the side of the finger, so that these rods with the lugs 16 to which they are attached, shall lie at all times below the main surface of the finger. When the rod 14 attached to any given grip plate is pulled to the left in Fig. 1, the corresponding grip plate is moved outwardly, and will grip an object placed between the finger 4 and the grip plate. When the rod is moved to the right, the lever 12 brings the grip plate against the surface of the finger, and it will be noticed in Figs. 1 and 2 that the face of the finger has been cut away slightly to allow the grip plates to come flush with the main surface of the finger. The rods 14 are connected to the ends of bell crank levers 17, pivotally mounted on the frame member 6, the opposite ends of the bell crank levers 17 being attached to plunger rods 18 passing through a movable frame member 19. The frame member 19 which is shown in the shape of an angle bar, is moved upward by a pull on the rod 20 when the stack of brick is to be raised. This occurs upon the initial lifting movement and serves to grip the lower or basic course of brick. The angle bar 19 is secured to the frame member 6 by means of the bolts 21, passing through slots 22 in the member 19 to allow of an upward movement in order to compress the springs 29. on therods 18. As the member 19 moves upward, the springs 22 are compressed, being restrained by the nuts 23 on the ends of the plunger rods 18. Thus, the rods 1 1 are pulled outwardly, and the grip plates moved to the gripping position.

lVhen the stack of brick is set down, the weight of the frame 19 moves the rods 18 downward through the action of collars 24 between which and the member 19 springs 25 may be interposed to cause the grip plates 10 to be moved flush with the main surface of the finger, so that the finger may thereafter be withdrawn laterally. As soon as the levers 12 or the bolts 11 become slightly worn, the ends of the grip plates 10 will project beyond the main surface of the finger, and will catch the basic layer of brick often causing a partial destruction of the stack. The same action occurs in withdrawing the fingers. To prevent this, I have added a light metal strap 26 which is secured to the outer end of the finger as by V the rivet 27, the strap being passed over the front pointed edge of the finger, or attached adjacent thereto. This strap is provided with a number of slots, and is attached to each one of the grip plates by means of shouldered rivets 28, as can be seen in Fig. 1, The rivets 28 pass through the slots 29 allowing a limited sliding movement between the strap 26 and each one of the grip plates, Upon the insertion of the finger in the stacks, if there is any variation in the alinement of the brick, the gripv plates 10 will be unable to catch on the edges of the brick as the strap 26 forms a guide tending to hold the edges of the grip plates even with or below the main surface of the finger. Upon raising the load the grip plates 10 are extended as shown in Fig. 1, the slots allowing a relative movement between the grip plates and the strap.

I have shown the third brick in the row 9 of Fig. 1 as being slightly thinner than the other brick in the row. The strap 26 is slightly bent at 30, and the individual gripping action of the plate 10 is not hindered. It is preferable, although not absolutely necessary, to have the plate 26 of spring metal. This will prevent any set or permanent deformation of the strap.v Upon release of the weight of the load, the rods 14 will be moved to the right in Fig. 1, and the plates 10 will be released. No trouble will be experienced in withdrawing the fingers, as the strap serves to guide the plates on withdrawal as well as on insertion. It is not necessary that the strap 26 be of the same width as the plates 10, as the same may be made narrower or wider as desired, it being essential only that this strap serve to secure alinement of the edges of the grip plates upon insertion or withdrawal of the fingers, without destroying the individual gripping action of each one of the plates.

While I have illustrated my improvement as applied to a specific type of machine, it is not intended thereby that the same should be limited to the application of only this type of machine, as I consider that it is equally applicable to any equivalent device, and that it may be practised in various forms, without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

l Vhat I claim is:

1. In a brick setting machine, a finger, grip plates on said finger, means for independently actuating said grip plates, common means for alining the edges of said grip plates, said means being flexible to allow of independent individual gripping action by each of said grip plates.

2. In a brick setting machine, a finger, grip plates on saidfinger, means for independently moving said plates to exert a grip ping action, said finger and grip plates being adapted to be thrust between two rows of bricks, and common means for guiding the edges of the grip plates.

3. In a brick setting machine, a finger having a rounded front edge, a grip plate thereon, a strap secured to said finger adja-' cent said rounded front edge, and passing over the outside face of said grip plate, said strap having sliding engagement with said grip plate, and means for moving said grip plate to gripping position.

4. In a brick setting machine, a finger, grip plates on said finger, means for independently actuating said grip plates, said finger having a rounded front edge, a strap secured adjacent said front edge, and having sliding engagement with said grip plates, said strap being flexible to allow of independent movement of said grip plates.

5. In a brick setting machine, a finger, grip plates mounted on said finger, said plates being adjustable laterally of the surface of said finger to cause a gripping action, means for independently adjusting said grip plates, a spring metal strap attached to the front end of said finger, slots in said strap adjacent the gripping plates, and rivets secured to said plates, said rivets passing through said slots.

6. In a brick setting machine, a finger, grip plates having free edges movable laterally from the face of said finger, means to m e c 0. said gr p pl s n ependently to exert a gripping action, and commen means for guiding othe ge ofe h grip plate upon movement of said finger catching of said gripping element with the upon entry or Withdrawal of the finger in object to be engaged. the stack. In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 7. In a brick setting machine a finger, a my name this 1st day of Sept. A. 1).,19141. gripping element thereon, said element being MARTIN F. BU'LTGE. movable laterally from said finger, and a spring plate secured to said finger and passing over said gripping element, preventing Witnesses:

CLARENCE J. WEBER, JOHN KRICK.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. (7. 

